Canada Post halts community mailbox rollout

A community mailbox from Canada Post is shown in Edmonton on Sept. 29, 2015.

Canada Post is suspending its planned switch to community mailboxes, following a pledge by prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau to restore door-to-door delivery service.

In a statement, the Crown Corporation said the suspension impacts 460,000 addresses across the country.

“All conversions planned for November and December and those announced for 2016 will be placed on hold,” said the statement.

Residents impacted will receive a letter within the next few weeks.

In neighbourhoods where the program has already been rolled out or was set to be rolled out in October, the community mailboxes will continue to be used.

In mid-September, about 30,000 customers in south Edmonton made the switch to collecting their mail from community boxes.

Some postal workers have been protesting the change saying they had to work long hours to complete their mail deliveries.

The union workers and some residents also said the community mailboxes decreased property values of the homes nearby.

In one case, an Edmonton man won his battle against Canada Post over the location of a community mailbox after he staged a protest.